Maintaining Creative Vision During Change

I've watched more companies fail during "successful" changes than during actual crises. It's not the layoffs, the restructuring, or even the uncertainty. The most dangerous thing is how easily we lose sight of what we set out to accomplish in the first place. During times of change, our biggest enemy isn't external chaos. It's our own distraction from the core vision that got us here. As a CEO, I've learned that when everything feels out of control, there's only one reliable anchor: going back to your original reason for starting the company. Reconnect with the passion you had at the beginning. Keep front of mind the goals you still haven't accomplished that were part of your initial plan. But staying focused isn't a solo mission. The leaders you surround yourself with will either help you stay on track or add to the noise. I look for people who aren't afraid to tell it like it is, and I maintain an open door policy so my team feels safe addressing concerns directly with me. The tangible result of this approach is simple: your company stays on the right path instead of being derailed by every new distraction that comes along.

“I’ll know we’ve succeeded together when my title of CEO no longer means ‘Chief Everything Officer.’” That was my client’s answer when I asked him what success looks like from our consulting work together. For many, the title of “Chief Everything Officer” is an unavoidable rite of passage when you’re a founder. So how do you relinquish the title? Step one: Uplevel your direct reports. Investing in top-level talent can feel daunting but it’s a necessary step forward when running a rocketship of a company. The next step is a bit more difficult… That’s vision permeation. How can successfully translate your vision into the day-to-day of your company in a way that motivates action and drives decision making (versus vision getting lost in a corporate game of telephone…)? Here are some tips… 1. Define the organizational processes that support your vision. You may have heard “vision without execution is just hallucination,” but “Vision without defined processes can lead to faulty translation.” Without providing your team the “rules of the game,” it’s hard for them to play. 2. Define how you will manage the growth of your vision. When you tell your team to focus on executing a vision, but you don’t spell out how resources, time, and priorities will shift to accommodate that, you create a rich breeding ground for overwhelm or confusion. Pay careful mind to “Zombie Ventures,” things that were a core focus at one point but should be officially (and publicly) killed. 3. Define your tolerance for failure. When executing a new vision, experimentation and failure are inevitable. Explain to your teams how failure will be handled, or they’ll be afraid to take big swings. Lay out what you can’t afford to fail at (because it will break things) and be clear what will be celebrated even if it doesn’t hit the mark at first. 4. Align measurement and reward systems. If you are asking people to get creative and bravely attempt new feats make sure rewards acknowledge those efforts. Make these acknowledgements as consistent and public as possible. 5. Define various growth paths within your organization. Typically, succeeding in an organization means “all roads lead to management.” But not everyone wants to (or should) be a manager. Create promotion paths that reward folks for expertise and ownership. #vision #growth #leadership

Last week, I spoke with the founder of a marketing agency who was struggling to keep his team aligned with the firm’s long-term goals. He felt like every department was operating independently, focused on their own metrics, rather than the bigger picture. So, we started digging into his firm’s vision. When was the last time he shared it with his team? How often did he connect their day-to-day work to that mission? Turns out, it had been months since not only a team-wide discussion about the “why” behind their work, but MONTHS since a team-wide discussion at all. I shared with him a strategy for keeping the vision front and center: Hold quarterly "Vision Check-ins." During these, revisit the firm’s goals, highlight milestones achieved, and tell stories about how individual contributions made those wins possible. I spoke with another member a few hours later and riffing off of my last call I asked how they handle this. She told me she takes a more personal approach. She spends 15 minutes each week in one-on-one chats with her team, asking them: 1. How do you see your role connecting to our firm’s goals? 2. Is there anything you need to feel more connected to the team? She mentioned that these conversations often reveal hidden issues and generate ideas for her to use to keep her team motivated. A strong vision aligns the organization. When your team feels their work is a part of something bigger, they’re not just employees—they’re stakeholders in the future of the firm.

Vision without repetition is just a PowerPoint slide collecting dust in your team’s inbox. Setting a compelling vision isn’t enough on its own. Leaders need to consistently reinforce that vision with their team to transform it from words into reality. I learned this the hard way when I once laid out what I thought was a crystal-clear vision for my team, only to watch it slowly fade into the background of daily operations. I saw how the noise of everyday tasks soon drowned that vision out, as inspiring as it was, and that it was my job as their leader to resurface it. I learned that when leaders don’t consistently reconnect their teams to the bigger picture, we risk watching our people drift off course - not because they aren’t capable, but because they’ve lost sight of the destination. This isn’t about micromanagement. Instead, it’s understanding that your role as a leader includes being the compass that points true north. Every meeting, every decision, every project should tie back to that larger purpose. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a team that’s busy … but not necessarily moving in the right direction. The most powerful question you should ask yourself as a leader is, “When was the last time I helped my team see how their daily work connects to our bigger mission?” Your vision isn’t a one-time announcement. It’s a story that needs constant retelling. #changemanagement #organizationalalignment #teamleadership

You can’t be a successful leader without having a clear direction. I've witnessed firsthand how a lack of clear direction can leave teams feeling confused and disengaged. In times of change or uncertainty, it's even more crucial to paint a compelling picture of the future. People need to see the end game – the "why" behind the effort – in order to fully commit and contribute their best. Communicating that vision effectively is where many leaders fall short. It's not just about creating a plan, it's about creating a sense of shared purpose. This requires: • Clarity ↳ Paint a vivid picture of the destination, making it tangible and relatable. • Transparency ↳ Be honest about the challenges and obstacles, but also emphasize the potential rewards. • Empathy ↳ Understand your team's concerns and address them directly. Make space for dialogue and feedback. When you invest in effective communication and create a shared sense of purpose, you unleash the power of your team. So, don't just tell your team where you're going – show them the path, light the way. And inspire them to take every step with you.